Ashura: The Anime
''Ashura: The Anime ''(Ashura: Ninja Hero of Arus ''in Japan) is a 2010 Japanese anime featuring Ashura, Amy Rose, Voltage the Hedgehog, and more. It was animated and produced by Blue Quill Animation, a division of the super-company Blue Quill Entertainment, with the partnership of SEGA and Sonic Team. The first volume started airing in Japan in 2010, with airing of ''Ashura: The Anime everywhere else starting later that year. So far, three volumes have been realeased, with Volume 4 confirmed for release sometime in mid-2013. Volume 4 (Episodes 46-60) has started airing in Japan on January 16 2013. Volume 4 will start airing everywhere else on March 7 2013. Plot Synopsis Volume 1 (Episodes 1-15) The first volume isn't set in the present, it's set in the past, when Ashura is only 7 years old. Ashura lives on Mobius, in his hometown of Ninjitsu City. Ashura's best friend is Voltage, who is only 4 years old in Volume 1. The first 14 episodes focus on their adventures together. In Episode 15, Kid Ashura and Kid Voltage start an epic quest. 15 years later, Ashura is 22 and he lives with his friends Voltage and Amy in a hi-tech metropolis called Gigaopolis. He is a crime-fighter that rebels against the Evil Master. After a battle against a chapter of the Evil Master's forces, the screen fades to black, and Volume 1 ends there. (Japanese airdate: Every Wednesday from 23 June 2010 to 29 September 2010. Everywhere Else airdate: Every Thursday from 8 July 2010 to 14 October 2010. International DVD release: January 10 2011.) Volume 2 (Episodes 16-30) The second volume is set in the present, unlike the first volume. Ashura and Voltage decide to take on the Evil Master and his forces. The whole volume is about the ongoing battle between the duo and the Evil Master's army. Janella (Ashura's mother who appeared a lot in Volume 1) also returns. In one episode, she passes her sword, the Master Sword, on to Ashura, who uses the sword to his advantage. Episode 30, The Epic Finale - Part 2 ends in a cliffhanger, where Ashura walks away from the scrap heap that was the Evil Master (he's a robot), the camera shifts to show a samurai hedgehog observing the ruins of the Evil Master's base. I can only wish the best for my son.. is what the samurai says before the screen fades to black, signalling the end of Volume 2. (Japanese airdate: Every Wednesday from 17 August 2011 to 23 November 2011. Everywhere else airdate: Every Thursday from 22 December 2011 to 29 March 2012. International DVD release: 19 May 2012.) Volume 3 (Episodes 31-45) The third volume is set 6 months after the second volume. Ashura, after defeating the Evil Master, prepares to complete his childhood dream: recolonize his home planet, Arus, after the Evil Master was defeated. While preparing to reach his goal, he meets a cute Japanese hedgehog named Naomi. Ashura invites Naomi to join his team and this time, they fight against Nazo. During Episode 34, Way of the Samurai, the samurai from Volume 2 encounters Ashura, and he reveals that he is Ashura's long-lost father. During Episode 45, Goodbye Naomi, Nazo gets trapped into the Power Rock by Ashura and the Power Rock is thrown into Sapphire Lake (a lake which Ashura used to play in back in Volume 1. It appeared in a couple of flashbacks during Volume 2.) The episode ends with a cliffhanger. Ashura and Naomi are walking towards a busy spaceport where Ashura's starfighter is. Naomi tells Ashura she hopes he willl succesfully be able to recolonize Arus. Ashura responds by hugging Naomi and saying Goodbye, Naomi.. as he climbs into his starfighter and flies away as the camera zooms out, revealing a cliff on which Mephiles the Dark is standing on. Mephiles snickers, than the screen fades to black yet again. (Japanese airdate: Every Wednesday from 4 July 2012 to 10 October 2012. Everywhere Else airdate: Every Thursday from 11 October 2012 to 17 January 2013. International DVD release: 7 March 2013 (coming soon).) List of Characters Volume 1 #Ashura #Voltage #Amy Rose #Janella #Sonic Volume 2 #Ashura #Voltage #Amy Rose #Janella #Shadow #Silver #Evil Master #Ashura's father #Sonic Volume 3 #Ashura #Sonic #Voltage #Amy Rose #Janella #Shadow #Silver #Evil Master #Ashura's father #Nazo #Naomi #Mephiles the Dark Episode Guide #The Beginning #Secrets Of Sapphire Lake #Discovery in the Forest #Ashura: Race Against Time #Voltage Appears! #Janella the Hedgehog #Chaos in Ninjitsu City #Ninja Training - Part 1 #Ninja Training - Part 2 #Ninja Training - Part 3 #Junior Attack Force #Visions of Arus #The Plan #Ashura's Depature #15 Years Later... #Attack! Evil Master Strikes UNDER CONSTRUCTION Reception Volume 1 was given 6/10 by SEGARules. This volume of the show lacks much action, but still enjoyable for many Ashura fans. SEGARules stated in one of their reviews. Volume 2 scored 9/10, with SEGARules saying Last volume had not much action. This volume makes up for it. In pretty much every episode, there's action, adventure, and fighting. ''Ashura: The Anime ''is becoming more like ''Dragon Ball Z, and we see that Ashura's gone from a young adventure-loving kid to a full-scale crime fighter. Two words. Just. Awesome.'' Volume 3 was given 8/10 with SEGARules stating Volume 2 was the best. Volume 3 continues on from Volume 2, but ''Ashura ''loses some of Volume 2's special elements, sadly. Not saying you shouldn't watch this. This is a must-watch for all Ashura fans, just like Volume 2. Note that Volume 3 is more darker than other volumes, so it's more suited for young teens (12-14) and up. Ratings Australia G OFLC G.png|Volume 1 Discs 1 and 2 were rated G. PG.png|Volume 1 Disc 3, Volume 2 Discs 1-3 and Volume 3 Disc 1 were rated PG. M.png|Volume 3 Disc 2 is rated M. Volume 3 Disc 3 hasn't been released yet. Canada G CHRVS.gif|Volume 1 Discs 1-3 were rated G. PG CHVRS.gif|Volume 2 Discs 1-3 and Volume 3 Discs 1 and 2 were rated PG. Ireland G IFCO.png|Volume 1 Discs 1-3 were rated G. PG IFCO.png|Volume 2 Discs 1-3 and Volume 3 Disc 1 were rated PG. 12A IFCO.png|Volume 3 Disc 2 is rated 12A. Category:Anime Category:2010 Category:2011 Category:2012 Category:2013 Category:TV Shows Category:Japanese Category:Sonic Category:Sega